One Perfect Summer

by Brenda Novak

  Serenity had already burrowed through the box just inside the door—the one filled with toys and games. That was where she’d found the puzzle for Lucy. Serenity had taken a game or two out of that box before. But as far as she was concerned, there’d never been anything else of interest in this room.

  Until now.

  Before texting Charlotte about Stuart Sands, she’d decided to see what she could find up here. When her parents were moving from Berkeley to San Diego, they sold their house as soon as they put it on the market, months before the new place was finished. Rather than rent an apartment, they’d decided to live at the cabin. And when they finally did move to their new home in Southern California, they’d left quite a lot of their belongings behind—anything they wanted to keep but weren’t likely to use.

  Serenity thought that might include some old scrapbooks, photo albums, files for home purchases and/or other records. After all, the cabin was more enduring than anything else the Curringtons had ever owned. Their cars changed. Their boats changed. Even their main residence had changed. But Serenity knew her parents would never sell the cabin. Too many memories had been formed here. And with their children now grown, they were planning for the next generation.

  Even if her mother hadn’t left any family photographs or birth certificates behind, there could be something here that would shed a bit of light on what her parents’ lives had been like in the early years of their marriage, before Serenity was born. A journal chronicling the years in question. A picture of her mother with another man from about the time Serenity was conceived. Keepsakes. Mementos. Love letters.

  She went through the boxes first. They contained the twins’ college textbooks, some handmade Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls from when they were small—and old prom dresses. Why Charlotte was hanging on to those, Serenity couldn’t say. She supposed her mother was saving them for grandchildren, so they could play dress-up.

  Other boxes included various things Beau had made in Boy Scouts or at school. Her mother had kept a lot of their schoolwork and other projects.

  Disappointed by what she’d found, she moved on to the closet but had no better luck. The clothes there were so dated they had to have belonged to her parents way back when they were in college.

  When she was finished with even the drawers of the tallboy dresser—which she’d only been able to reach by pushing and pulling and heaving the other furniture out of the way—she turned in a slow circle, wondering if there could be something she’d missed.

  Had she spent her afternoon on a wild-goose chase? It felt that way.

  “Damn.”

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

  She took it out to see that Reagan had texted a picture. They were at Sand Harbor. Finn had Lucy on his shoulders and was standing to one side of Lorelei. Reagan was on the other side with the water glistening behind them.

  Serenity was tempted to forward it to Mark. Although Reagan was in the picture, too, it looked like Finn was Lucy’s father—that Finn, Lorelei and Lucy were a family. And going by the way they were smiling, they seemed happy.

  If Mark wasn’t careful, maybe Finn really would step in and replace him...

  But it was the fact that Reagan had looped her arm casually through Lorelei’s that made Serenity stop and study the picture. How was it that they were becoming so close already? Not too long ago, they’d barely known each other and yet...

  There was something powerful and meaningful there. Something beyond friendship. She felt it, too. A defensiveness toward those who weren’t treating her sisters right. A hope that they could overcome their struggles. The desire to help them do so.

  If that wasn’t a testament to genetics, Serenity didn’t know what was.

  With a flicker of regret for not accompanying them—especially since she hadn’t found anything of interest in the cabin while they were gone—she wrote Reagan back. Glad you made it to the lake. Beautiful, isn’t it?

  Spectacular. Now I see what I’ve been missing spending all my time in a New York City high-rise.

  Maybe what happened between you and Drew—what sent you on this course—was meant to be. Your life was out of balance.

  I have to grant you that. But forced change is never easy.

  As long as it’s worth it in the end?

  Fingers crossed.

  When will you three be back?

  We’re starting back now.

  If you get too tired, give me a call. I can pick you up.

  We’ve got Finn with us, so we should be fine. There’s no way Lorelei or I could carry Lucy that far, but he seems to have no trouble.

  Serenity scrolled up to take another look at the picture she’d received before responding. Lorelei really likes Finn.

  From what I can tell, he likes her too.

  How much?

  I guess we’ll see.

  It would serve Mark right if Lorelei fell in love with Finn. But she supposed that was the sisterly defensiveness she’d noticed creeping in again. Reagan was right when she said they shouldn’t judge Mark too soon. Serenity needed to remember how hard it was to evaluate a situation accurately when she was only looking in from the outside—but it wasn’t easy to be that fair-minded.

  She put her parents’ storage back the way she’d found it and meandered into the library. If her mother had a cache of love letters or an old journal, she hadn’t come across it. There was nothing left to do but text Charlotte about Stuart Sands.

  But that could tip her mother off and might bring Charlotte rushing to Tahoe to either explain or justify the past. And considering how things were going with Lorelei and Reagan, Serenity wasn’t convinced that would be a good idea. Yes, they wanted to discover how they were related. But they also wanted to get to know each other.

  Which was more important?

  They could have both, if they were patient.

  Still hoping for some other way to find the information they were looking for, she sat in of one of two soft leather chairs, rested her head on the back and tried to put herself in her mother’s shoes. Where would Charlotte hide something she wanted to keep secret—from her kids and her husband?

  She stared at the three walls filled with bookshelves. Between the pages of a book?

  No, that would be too risky. Someone might pull that particular book from the shelves and chance upon the information. Charlotte wouldn’t leave herself that vulnerable to being exposed. But maybe there was a hidey-hole behind the books...

  She stood up, intending to take every single volume off the shelves so she could see what might be behind it, when a new thought sent her hurrying back into the storage room.

  When she was a child, her mother had given her a jewelry box that had a false bottom. Serenity had loved having somewhere secret to hide the notes and trinkets she received from friends and boys as she got older.

  Could it be that the standing jewelry box her mother had used years ago also had a false bottom?

  And, if so, what might be inside it?

  * * *

  reagan

  Reagan stared at her calendar. She’d spoken to Rally twice since that initial texting session and told him they’d go out once she got home. But now that she was staying in Tahoe she had to let him know she couldn’t make their dinner date.

  Would putting him off until September kill the relationship?

  She thought it probably would—and was strangely reluctant to do that. Although they hardly knew each other, Rally seemed different than the other men she’d met—more mature, steady, balanced. But she had no business going out with him or anyone else until she had her life together.

  What if she was pregnant?

  She needed to buy a pregnancy test. But the mere thought of that filled her with dread. Until she saw a positive result, she could continue to hope for a negative one. That was the reason she hadn’t yet made a c
oncerted effort.

  Still, she couldn’t ignore the possibility indefinitely. Should she get up early tomorrow and drive to the store? They’d returned the rental car, but Serenity would let her take the X5. She could make up an excuse about needing something else—tampons or face cream or gum.

  A negative test result would be such a relief.

  She closed her eyes as she imagined it, longed for it. Problem was, it could easily go the other way. So while she longed for relief, fear stood in her way.

  She rubbed her forehead as she rested on the pillows she’d propped against her headboard. The house was quiet; she assumed Serenity, Lucy and Lorelei were asleep. As late as it was, she should be asleep, too. But the worry she’d been trying to ignore burned like acid in her stomach.

  If she was going to have a baby, what would she do? Work until she delivered, and then take maternity leave? What if she was stricken with morning sickness and couldn’t handle the demanding routine and stress of working in a top-tier advertising firm? If she admitted to being pregnant, would anyone hire her even if she could handle the job?

  Edison & Curry would never take on a pregnant woman—not if they could avoid it—so how could she expect anything different from their competitors?

  She supposed she could scrimp on money and wait until after she had the baby to return to work...

  But once the child was born, what then? Would she put the baby up for adoption? Or would she try to keep him or her?

  And if she did...

  She stopped her mind from wandering to childcare, how her mother would react, whether she’d be the kind of parent a child deserved. Her whole life would change. She’d have to make so many decisions, not the least of which would be whether or not to tell Drew.

  Did he have a right to know?

  He wouldn’t be happy about it. He’d dismissed their encounter as though it had no meaning whatsoever and made clear that he’d never let his relationship with her interfere with his family. But if he had a child by her that would definitely interfere. The repercussions might even tear his marriage apart. Look at Lorelei and Mark... She wasn’t Sally’s best friend, but still.

  “What a mess,” she muttered and tried, once again, to compose a text to Rally. Since it was later in New York, nearly three thirty in the morning, she expected him to be asleep. That meant she probably wouldn’t hear back from him until morning. But that was part of the reason she’d chosen this particular time. He’d see her text when he woke up, shrug it off with a call me when you finally return, which she wouldn’t, and that would be that.

  Hey, I hate to do this, but I’m going to have to break our dinner date. I thought I was coming home on Friday, but my sisters and I have decided to spend the summer in Tahoe. I’ll let you know when I’m back in town, in case you’re still interested. Maybe we can grab a drink then.

  She hit Send and got up to turn off the light. Even if she wasn’t pregnant, she wasn’t going to rush back to New York. With the number of men she’d dated in the past, none of whom had worked out, what were the chances that Rally would be the exception? This could be the only opportunity she’d ever have to spend an entire summer with her sisters. And, as odd as it felt to make a decision based on siblings—since she’d never had any before—Reagan was going to take advantage of it.

  19

  serenity

  THE FIRST THING Serenity saw when she woke up was the letter she’d found in her mother’s jewelry box. It had also been the last thing she’d seen before falling asleep the night before, since it was sitting on the nightstand. She’d even dreamed about what it contained—had a terrible nightmare in which she’d caught her mother dancing with Uncle Vance, laughing with him, agreeing to meet him secretly here at the cabin.

  Earlier, when Serenity had been on the phone with her mother and Charlotte had mentioned what a womanizer Uncle Vance had always been, Serenity had rejected the idea that he could be the link tying her to Lorelei and Reagan. While she’d briefly considered the genetics, the possibility that he might’ve been with her mother hadn’t even crossed her mind. She’d assumed that, if he was somehow involved, she would be a cousin to Lorelei and Reagan, not a sister. Anyway, her mother was a wonderful person; she would never have an affair with her husband’s brother.

  But the letter in that old jewelry box seemed to indicate otherwise. And, as Mark had recently proved to Lorelei, those kinds of indiscretions, between a husband and a wife’s best friend or even a brother and a sister-in-law, did occasionally happen.

  Had her mother been temporarily dazzled by Uncle Vance’s good looks and huge personality? Was it his flattery, his unfailing smile, his good-natured teasing?

  Was Uncle Vance Serenity’s father? Lorelei’s and Reagan’s, too?

  Your uncle Vance is always in a new relationship. I don’t even pay attention anymore. He’s never been with the same woman for more than three years.

  Serenity wished she could decide if it was bitterness instead of simple disgust she’d heard in her mother’s voice. If Uncle Vance had caused her to break her marriage vows to a good man, a man who was everything Uncle Vance was not, she could understand why Charlotte might hold some resentment toward him.

  But Serenity had seen Uncle Vance at various dinners and other family functions through the years. If he was her father, wouldn’t her mother have avoided going to any events where she knew he’d be present?

  Not necessarily, she decided. Perhaps Charlotte had feared that would create suspicion.

  In any case, if Charlotte had been uncomfortable when he was around, Serenity hadn’t picked up on it.

  And what about Uncle Vance’s relationship with Serenity’s father? Did Chuck give his brother money whenever Vance was down and out because he was afraid Vance might say something to Serenity or someone else in the family?

  That would be blackmail! Assuming her father knew, of course. The letter suggested he didn’t. In that case, what would it do to him to find out?

  What would it do to everyone else in the family?

  Uncertainty and worry congealed in the pit of Serenity’s stomach like a lump of bacon grease. She should’ve left this alone, steered clear of it entirely. After the past eighteen months, she was already disillusioned when it came to love and trust. She didn’t want to become as bitter and uncertain about her mother as she was about her ex-husband.

  She also didn’t want to feel that her father had any reason to love her less than her siblings, or that Beau and the twins would no longer consider their relationship with her to be as important to them as their relationship to each other. Would learning she belonged to Uncle Vance suddenly push her outside the safe, warm circle of familial support she’d always taken for granted? Make her an outsider?

  The letter she’d found raised so many questions. As difficult as it had been to learn, when Lorelei first contacted her, that her father might not be her biological father, it was even more difficult to imagine Vance taking his place. Vance wasn’t anyone she could respect. He was someone everyone else murmured about and discounted because he couldn’t keep his shit together. And he was part of their extended family, no less, making it all the more scandalous.

  “Thank God I didn’t say anything,” she said aloud. If she’d mentioned her two half sisters to her parents, her mother’s secret—if there was a secret—would have been out. And although the secret was as old as Serenity, the sheer magnitude of such a lie could cause all kinds of problems. A divorce. Doubt and insecurity that persisted well into the future. Barriers and estrangement—not only between Chuck and Charlotte, or Serenity and Chuck and Charlotte, but between Serenity and the siblings she’d grown up with. It didn’t necessarily matter who’d been in the right and who’d been in the wrong thirty-five years ago. The twins or Beau could easily take their mother’s side. Loyalty was a strange thing. Who could say exactly how they’d interpret the situation? They
could claim everyone made mistakes, that Charlotte had been an amazing mother. That was true. They could also argue that their father must’ve done something to leave her vulnerable to their uncle’s advances, or it would never have happened.

  If it came to a split between her parents, and they were each grappling for support, whose side would she be on? Serenity wondered. Given what her mother might’ve done, Charlotte wasn’t the obvious choice, but it would be weird to take her father’s side if he wasn’t even her father.

  “This just gets better and better,” she muttered.

  “What, Aunt Serenity?”

  Serenity lifted her head to see Lucy standing in her room. “You’re up?” Serenity hadn’t heard the door open.

  “Yeah,” she said.

  Serenity couldn’t help feeling slightly irritated. “Where’s your mother? Is she still sleeping?”

  Lucy seemed slightly confused by Serenity’s tone and expression, which wasn’t welcoming, but she didn’t leave. “She’s in the shower...”

  If Lorelei was in the shower she obviously wasn’t going to step into the room and lead Lucy away, not immediately.

  Serenity nearly told her niece to go out and close the door and let her sleep. She’d had a terrible night, and she was having a terrible morning. The more she thought about her mother and Uncle Vance together, the more upset she became. Her two new sisters were putting the family she’d always had at risk, and it was hard not to resent them for it. After all, if Lorelei had never contacted her, Serenity would still be blissfully unaware of the whole thing.

  But as soon as she opened her mouth to send Lucy away, she noticed that her niece was carrying something—a book. “What do you have there?” she asked.

  Lucy turned it to show Serenity the cover. It was the copy of Are You My Mother? Serenity had read to her before.